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Houston Chronicle to cut at least 10% of work force (Dinosaur Media DeathWatchâ„¢)
Poynter Online ^ | February 13, 2009 | Banjo Jones

Posted on 02/16/2009 7:23:49 AM PST by abb

The Houston Chronicle will cut at least another 10 percent of its employees, the publisher said in a memo distributed late Friday.

The Chronicle has been reducing its payroll the last four years. In 2004 it cut 240, in 2005 it cut 100 and last year it cut 70.

Here's the memo from publisher Jack Sweeney:

February 13, 2009 Dear Chronicle Colleagues:

As our newspaper continues to report the condition of the economy, we read about companies in all business categories adjusting their size to match current and projected revenues. The Houston Chronicle must do the same in spite of your diligent efforts.

Consequently, over the next 60 days, we will be reorganizing our employee base in all divisions around a reduction in force of at least 10 percent. As we restructure the Chronicle, rest assured that we are planning and researching many other cost saving initiatives so we can keep job eliminations as low as possible. I ask for your help, in that regard, so please keep submitting your cost savings ideas through our new program.

I hope you understand that difficult decisions must be made in challenging times and I ask for your patience as we work through this period of unprecedented change.

Sincerely, Jack Sweeney

Anyone who's been following the newspaper business the past year can't be surprised by this. It's happening at every big-city paper in the country.

It's pretty weird, though, that they'd pick Friday The 13th to lay the wood to the serfs.

Even though it's privately owned and therefore can keep its financial data to itself, we venture to guess the Chron is still profitable, given its monopoly status and its location in a city that hasn't felt the brunt of the current recession.

Still, it isn't probitable enough in the eyes of the Hearst Corp.

The company's San Francisco paper is losing money at an astonishing rate and it can't find a buyer for its Seattle newspaper, which probably will close altogether.

Normally, we'd express condolences at the developments to our friends at The Chron, Houston's only daily and one of the nation's Top 10 in circulation, but most of them have taken early retirement buyouts or been fired or have quit in disgust. Oh hell, good luck anyway to all the layoffees.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Culture/Society; News/Current Events; US: Texas
KEYWORDS: advertising; dbm; houston; layoffs; newspapers
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More good news!
1 posted on 02/16/2009 7:23:50 AM PST by abb
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To: abb

Link to blog here:

http://brazosportnews.blogspot.com/2009/02/houston-chronicle-to-cut-at-least-10-of.html


2 posted on 02/16/2009 7:24:15 AM PST by abb ("What ISN'T in the news is often more important than what IS." Ed Biersmith, 1942 -)
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To: 04-Bravo; aimhigh; andyandval; Arizona Carolyn; backhoe; Bahbah; bert; bilhosty; Caipirabob; ...

ping


3 posted on 02/16/2009 7:24:38 AM PST by abb ("What ISN'T in the news is often more important than what IS." Ed Biersmith, 1942 -)
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To: abb

http://www.theplainsman.com/front/2009/feb-12/plainsman_dying_and_we_thought_you_should_know
The Plainsman is dying, and we thought YOU should know.


4 posted on 02/16/2009 7:25:26 AM PST by abb ("What ISN'T in the news is often more important than what IS." Ed Biersmith, 1942 -)
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To: abb

Is the Houston Chronicle the usual dying leftist rag? I have no idea of its politics.


5 posted on 02/16/2009 7:29:14 AM PST by FormerACLUmember (NOW)
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To: abb

YES! Filth, take a holiday!


6 posted on 02/16/2009 7:30:22 AM PST by SanFranDan
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To: FormerACLUmember
Is the Houston Chronicle the usual dying leftist rag?

One of the worst. Owned by Hearst Newspapers.

7 posted on 02/16/2009 7:30:56 AM PST by abb ("What ISN'T in the news is often more important than what IS." Ed Biersmith, 1942 -)
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To: abb
Could this mean that the SF Chronicle isn't far behind? May their death be particularly long and gruesome!
8 posted on 02/16/2009 7:31:54 AM PST by SanFranDan
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To: SanFranDan

http://newsosaur.blogspot.com/2009/01/somethings-gotta-give-at-sf-chronicle.html
Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Something’s gotta give at S.F. Chronicle


9 posted on 02/16/2009 7:33:48 AM PST by abb ("What ISN'T in the news is often more important than what IS." Ed Biersmith, 1942 -)
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To: abb

Allow me to quote Dr. Raoul: BIAS = LAYOFFS. And the Houston Chronicle is one of the very worst when it comes to bias. They aren’t even original or clever about it, but practice “me too” journalism, slavishly following the Wash Post and NYT. These reporters and editors are getting what they so richly deserve. I hope the Chron goes down in big, roaring flames.


10 posted on 02/16/2009 7:35:59 AM PST by La Lydia
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To: La Lydia
Raoul's First Law of Journalism
Bias = Layoffs

Raoul's Second Law of Journalism
Ignoring Bias = Bankruptcy



11 posted on 02/16/2009 7:39:20 AM PST by abb ("What ISN'T in the news is often more important than what IS." Ed Biersmith, 1942 -)
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To: abb
I quit buying the Houston Chronicle a long time ago because I didn't want to subsidize their anti Bush, pro liberal stance. I don't know why others cut them off but it is an old technology not needed today. Now if I could only get the Galveston News to stop throwing their trash in my driveway! Here's a bunch of liberal greenies writing about saving the environment and what do they do? Make me throw more paper into the land fill!
12 posted on 02/16/2009 7:42:28 AM PST by dblshot
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To: abb

Many people have stopped reading newspapers because of the inherent left-wing bias that is constantly shown in many, many newspapers. People want to be educated about both sides of the issue, not preached to. As Roger Ailes said to journalists..”If there isn’t anything in your piece that you disagree with, it’s probably biased”.
I see many, many one-sided pieces of journalism. Why is that? As Bill O’Neil of Investors Business Daily speculates, they probably learned that bias in journalism schools.

What this country needs is a national newspaper called “Both sides now”, (remember Murrow?) and have a two-sided, completely unbiased newspaper that can educate us on the issues


13 posted on 02/16/2009 7:43:00 AM PST by Ronaldus Magnus Reagan (What's the difference between the Prophet Mohammed and Charles Manson?)
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To: dblshot
Now if I could only get the Galveston News to stop throwing their trash in my driveway

Ahhh Galveston. One of the very few places where the municipal workers have completely privatized social security and will get about triple the retirement benefits than a comparable person on SS.

Democrats killed that plan after Galveston and Texas counties got through the privatized door before it was slammed shut bu the Dems.

14 posted on 02/16/2009 7:46:01 AM PST by Ronaldus Magnus Reagan (What's the difference between the Prophet Mohammed and Charles Manson?)
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To: abb

re: The Plainsman.....

“We have lost confidence in the current management of the business side to reverse this dangerous trend. “

This is from the editorial staff and is a very interesting statement. The writer, presumably a student, soon to be expecting a job at a newspaper has no clue. You could do him a great service by e mailing your Dinosaur Media archives.


15 posted on 02/16/2009 9:05:37 AM PST by bert (K.E. N.P. +12 . The original point of America was not to be Europe)
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To: bert
You could do him a great service by e mailing your Dinosaur Media archives.

Unlike my fellow FReepers who are worth the effort to inform and interact with, this future "journalist" is not. He cannot be taught. It's just as well he proceed on to his future career as a Wal-Mart Greeter. Maybe one sunny Saturday morning while watching the automatic doors slide open and shut, he'll figure it out...

16 posted on 02/16/2009 9:14:53 AM PST by abb ("What ISN'T in the news is often more important than what IS." Ed Biersmith, 1942 -)
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To: FormerACLUmember
Is the Houston Chronicle the usual dying leftist rag? I have no idea of its politics.

Typical leftist leaning in its Editorial pages and writers and its political news items are consistently laced with leftist biased opinions and is constantly liberally slanted. The Chron would rather close than make the necessary changes to keep itself afloat if that is at all possible at this late stage.

17 posted on 02/16/2009 9:59:34 AM PST by Ron H. (I believe in and practice the 4 Gs : God, gold, guns and a garden)
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To: abb

This is really serious — if Pravda on the Bayou goes belly-up, what would little puppy dogs piddle on?


18 posted on 02/16/2009 10:42:25 AM PST by TexasRepublic (I am inconsolate over the death of our country.)
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To: abb

You know, it’s awfully hard to cut ten percent of just one person.

I sure hope it gets that bad there soon.


19 posted on 02/16/2009 11:11:12 AM PST by ConservativeMind (Who is now in charge of the "Office of the President-Elect"?)
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To: MplsSteve

http://www.minnpost.com/stories/2009/02/16/6718/bankrupt_star_tribune_seeking_new_union_deals
Bankrupt Star Tribune seeking new union deals

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/columnists/edward-wasserman/story/906157.html
Paying for the press — and the rest of the ‘Net


20 posted on 02/16/2009 12:49:47 PM PST by abb ("What ISN'T in the news is often more important than what IS." Ed Biersmith, 1942 -)
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